This invention relates to springs for positioning between an article to be supported and a support surface for absorbing shock loads and vibrations which otherwise would be transmitted therebetween. The spring of this invention is particularly useful in the transportation of relatively large, heavy items in trucks, railroad cars and the like where considerable shock loads and vibrations are encountered which tend to damage the articles.
By way of example, in the shipment of industrial parts, such as automotive parts, engines, and the like, it is common to ship parts either separately supported upon pallets or, at times, within tote boxes or similar large containers. These parts may be shipped from one manufacturing plant to another and the shipment typically takes place in truck trailers, railroad cars or upon conveyors or the like. During the movement of the parts, whether individually mounted upon pallets or collectively supported within containers, the parts are susceptible to damage caused by the shock loads and vibrations encountered in transit.
To reduce transit-induced damage, attempts have been made to provide springs or other cushioning types of supports for the articles, including sometimes packaging the articles within shock-absorbing materials, such as pieces of foam plastic arranged within a container, etc. In many types of shipments, it is desirable to be able to quickly position an inexpensive springy support beneath the article or beneath its container or pallet to support the load and to protect against anticipated shocks and vibrations. Since the weight of particular shipments may vary, there is a need for a spring which can be varied in spring strength, but which is sufficiently inexpensive so that it can be discarded after a single use. Thus, the invention herein relates to an improved spring or springy support rail which can be hand-tailored to provide the needed spring support for a particular weight shipment or article to be protected.